Canadian triple-play cableco Shaw Communications has posted financial and operational results for its fiscal third quarter ended 31 May 2010. The Calgary-based company’s net profits for the three months rose by 19.7% year-on-year to CAD158 million (USD150 million) on revenues that climbed 10% to CAD944 million. Service revenue in the cable division was up 11% y-o-y to CAD745 million, driven by both customer growth and a rise in tariffs.
In the three-month period, Shaw’s cable broadband internet and digital telephony subscribers rose by 26,000 to 1.80 million and by 66,000 to 1.04 million, respectively. Basic cable subscribers and direct-to-home (DTH) satellite customers were up by just 2,322 and 1,856 in the quarter, respectively. Last month Shaw received court permission to buy the television channel assets of Canwest Global Communications for CAD2 billion; it expects to complete the acquisition early in fiscal 2011.
Elsewhere, Shaw has selected Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to provide the radio access and core infrastructure for its planned next generation mobile network, which will be designed to be fully capable of offering both 3G and 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services, using its existing Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) 2100MHz spectrum, as well as future frequency bands to be auctioned in Canada. Shaw says its wireless network will be fully integrated into its extensive fibre-optic network to maximise data speeds available to users. The cableco is investing approximately CAD100 million on its mobile development in the current fiscal year ending August 2010, and anticipates a commercial wireless launch in late 2011.